There are also many other things Jesus did. If they were all written down I do not suppose the world could hold the number of books needed to record them.  John 21: 25

Dear Friends,

At Easter, perhaps more than any other season of the Christian year, we notice the differences between the four gospels. It’s not surprising. The writers each have distinctive priorities, and the communities to whom they are writing are different, too. But have you ever compared the endings of the four gospels?

Mark’s gospel finishes abruptly at the tomb. Matthew and Luke end theirs with an overt Commission. John, as we might have come to expect, leaves the loose ends untied and offers instead this cheeky nod to the many untold stories of Jesus. John could say more but is choosing not to. This not-so-subtle hint dangles in front of us like the proverbial carrot even two thousand years after the fact. Intriguing. Frustrating. Just beyond reach.

Like children attempting to avoid the inevitable bedtime we might cry out for just one more page – one more story – only to find John telling us gently but firmly that we’ve heard enough. This gospel was never intended as an account of Jesus’ life and ministry but an essay on discipleship. That essay has now concluded.

‘Listen,’ says John. ‘There’s so much more to Jesus than you can read here. More than you could ever understand – enough to cover the whole world and then some! But you’ve heard everything you need to fulfil God’s mission. Go and discover the rest for yourself.’

John reminds his readers that the Jesus Story extends beyond the gospels and beyond the time and places in which Jesus lived and preached. Perhaps the ‘much more’ is still unfolding even today. Perhaps the endless books to which John refers are for us to write, not on paper but on the world around us.

What do you think?

Love and blessings,

Laura

Dear Friends,

Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, ‘Thus it was written that the Christ was to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day. Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things…’ Luke 24: 43-48

The disciples are now primed and ready to take on the world, or so they think. Surely this is all building to a massive crescendo – a spectacular sending out. But Jesus has one more surprise in store:  ‘You must remain in the city,’ says Jesus. ‘Something’s coming, but you have to wait.’ The balloon of excitement deflates somewhat.

I wonder how they took this news. Did James and John, nicknamed ‘Sons of Thunder’ by their friend and Saviour, endlessly speculate or make plans for a future they could not foresee?  Did Martha cook endless pots of stew and clean the fireplace until it sparkled in an effort to keep busy? Did Peter consider how to ‘shepherd the sheep’ from a city whose leaders must have suspected him? Imagine Philip and Andrew, always on the lookout for people who needed Jesus most, having to sit and wait. How would you have passed the time?

The story is in motion but the Eternal Hand is slow to turn the page revealing the next chapter. Perhaps you can empathise. Are there areas of your personal, church or community life where you sense God is moving? Perhaps an individual, project or situation has been in your prayers for a long time and progress is slow.

The temptation, of course, is to hurry things along a bit – not meaning to second-guess God, just wanting to see the Kingdom come quicker and in the manner we expect. Without Jesus’ warning to stay in Jerusalem the disciples might have separated, dashing off to their various homes and jobs. Worse, they could have gone blundering on, attempting to minister alone. They do have form for that. Remember their inability to cast out the demon in Matthew 17: 14-20?

None of us, however capable, are called to serve God in our own strength. That can mean taking God’s time, not our own.

Love and blessings,

Laura.